Development of an early intervention programme for adolescents with emotion dysregulation and their families: Actions for the treatment of adolescent personality (ATraPA)

Abstract

Aim Borderline personality disorder and severe emotion dysregulation in adolescence is a major public health concern. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is a promising treatment for suicidality in adolescents. The aim of this work is to present an adaptation of this intervention to the Spanish national health system, Actions for the Treatment of Adolescent Personality (ATraPA). Method Data consists of a description of the different ATraPA subprogrammes, including interventions for adolescents aged 13 to 17 and their families. Participants were referred to ATraPA from different hospitals within the region of Madrid, Spain. Results ATraPA has been developed as an intensive outpatient treatment and it comprises different subprogrammes. ATraPA‐TAI is an intensive outpatient treatment, including a skills‐based group, individual therapy and email therapy. ATraPA‐FAL is a psychoeducational intervention for families, including emotion regulation strategies for parents themselves. Finally, the Alternatives Group is offered to adolescents during the hospital admission, with the aim of promoting alternative coping skills. The group of therapists provides a support network to the professionals involved in ATraPA. Conclusions ATraPA has been successfully implemented in a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service within the Spanish national health system. Future studies should address the efficacy of ATraPA using a controlled design.

Contribution of Risk and Resilience Factors to Suicidality among Mental Health-Help-Seeking Adolescent Outpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Moreover, these studies could potentially target resilience factors in a tailored manner. For example, high-risk youth with low emotional regulation capabilities might benefit from intervention of dialectical behavior therapy that specifically address emotion regulation [50]. In addition, interventions aimed at enhancing resilience factors can be incorporated in focused interventions targeting suicide risk, which are common in Israel [51,52].…”

A Single-Session Virtual Validation Intervention for Family Members of Youth Experiencing Emotion Dysregulation: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study

“…Continuing to be a caregiver to a youth experiencing mental health issues often causes distinct and unrelenting stress (Ambikile & Outwater, 2012;Brown, 2018;. While there is a substantial body of research focused on the impact of caregiving for youth with mental health issues, there is comparatively little research exploring the caregiving experience for those looking after youth experiencing emotion dysregulation specifically (Mayoral et al, 2020). As previously discussed, some researchers consider BPD to be simply a prototype of the core problem that is emotion dysregulation (Mayoral et al, 2020).…”

The Influence of Family Intervention on the Treatment of Adolescent Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: A Literature Review

“…Training programs specially targeted at caregivers of adolescent BPD patients have also shown a positive impact on the quality of care delivered to them, contributing to their well-being. A program adapting DBT-A to the Spanish national health system [30] used a 12-session psychoeducational group for parents of adolescents with emotional dysregulation for families not taking part in the interventions directed at adolescents themselves, such as individual therapy, skills group, and email therapy. Parents are educated to raise awareness of their emotions, cultivate an understanding of emotional dysregulation, and develop communication and crisis management skills.…”